British Open 2018 odds: Surprising Sunday picks from same model that predicted the Masters

SportsLine simulated the 2018 British Open weekend 10,000 times and came up with some surprising picks

by
CBS Sports Staff

Jul 22, 2018
• 2 min read

There's a three-way tie at 9-under atop the 2018 British Open leaderboard entering the fourth and final around at Carnoustie in Scotland. The 2018 British Open, also known as the Open Championship, will come down to one round on Sunday to determine a winner. Jordan Spieth, the reigning champion, is the favorite at 3-2 British Open odds, while Xander Schauffele (5-1) and Kevin Kisner (11-2) are also in the driver's seat. At stake is the coveted Claret Jug and the title of champion of golf's third major of the year. The British Open 2018 resumes on Sunday at 3 a.m. ET.

Before you make any 2018 British Open picks or enter a Sunday daily fantasy golf tournament on DraftKings or FanDuel, you'll want to hear what the team at SportsLine has to say.

It also nailed the Masters and U.S. Open last year, calling wins for Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka entering the weekend. Then, it was all over Spieth at the 2017 British Open from the start and called his third major victory with three rounds to play.

With three rounds in the books, SportsLine simulated the final round of the 2018 British Open 10,000 times and the results were surprising.

One huge surprise the model is calling for on Sunday at the 2018 British Open: Alex Noren, four shots back and going off at 25-1, makes a strong run at the title.

Noren shot a third-round 67 to surge into contention, and after recent strong showings at the U.S. Open and Players Championship, he's a long shot that offers plenty of value for anybody making British Open picks for the final round.

Noren, from Sweden, is 16th on the PGA Tour in scoring average at 69.860 strokes per round and No. 11 in the Official World Golf Rankings. He's overlooked and within striking distance of the 2018 Open Championship title.

Another shocker the model is calling for: Schauffele, who enters Sunday tied with Spieth for the lead, doesn't crack the top five when play wraps up. There are far better values than the 5-1 British Open odds he's listed at.

Schauffele ranks just 129th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy at 59.48 percent and is only 118th in greens in regulation at 65.26 percent. He's also outside the top 100 in putting at 29.22 putts per round, which will put him behind the eight-ball entering Sunday at the Open Championship 2018.

Also the model says three other golfers going off at 2018 British Open odds of 20-1 or longer will be in contention for the Claret Jug. Anyone who bets on these underdogs could hit it big.